


a field guide to post-apocalyptic time travel

by starseen



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Post-Canon Fix-It, Temporary Amnesia, Will add tags as I go, because they didn't deserve this, champions come back, post 100 years, spoilers for the game and dlc 1/2, well not for a while anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-10-04 04:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17297363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starseen/pseuds/starseen
Summary: After the world has ended, Zelda starts anew. Thankfully she isn't alone this time.(i'll be adding tags, characters and warnings as i go.)





	1. the end

**Author's Note:**

> i say time travel _loosely_
> 
> welcome to my champions-come-back fix-it, hope you enjoy

The first thing Zelda saw was the bright blue sky. It was noon, the sun high and warm on her pale face, the horizon streaked with fluffy white clouds. Zelda lay in Link’s arms, staring up at that vast heaven, letting herself think of exactly nothing at all. She hadn’t had much time for that before.

After some time they stopped—Link’s grip was slipping and he had wounds to attend to. Zelda did not have the strength to sit, so she opted for lying across Link’s lap. Link followed Zelda’s eyes to the sky with a gentle smile, and Zelda noticed his old scars were replaced with new ones. There was so much she had missed—and she was determined to make up for that lost time.

“Link?” Zelda whispered. Her voice was brittle after so long, like rusting metal. It tasted a little like that, too, the burning of Malice still on her tongue, making her skin itch. “Link, do you remember me?”

Link’s eyes widened a fraction before he began to sign. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I remember you now. Your hair is longer, though.’ He added the last part with a grin and Zelda would have cried if she weren’t so exhausted. She recalled cutting all her hair off once in a fit of anger. Link had not scolded her as others did, but instead helped to tidy the ends.

The sun was low and amber by the time Zelda had enough energy to sit up on her own. She still couldn’t walk, though, so Link had to carry her to his horse and prop her up against him. Zelda frowned down at the beast. “This horse looks sort of… like mine.”

‘Her name is Egg,’ Link replied. ‘She might be related to yours. Most of our horses seem to have become wild like the rest of the place…’ 

He took a moment to look behind him, at the castle. The grey stone was crumbling and darkened with age, the dark shroud no longer, the walls growing ivy. It was over—it was really _over—_ and Zelda thought she ought to feel at peace. But she didn’t. The only thing she felt was that burning, that cursed itching, and the sense that she had forgotten something important.

It was time to leave, she thought.

“Link, can we go?” she asked softly. “I don’t think I can be here right now.”

Link nodded in response, spurring the horse on to a gentle pace. ‘Anywhere in particular?’

“I don’t care,” she replied, wincing at how harsh it sounded. “I just want to be away.”

Evening transitioned into night; Zelda found herself caught between sleep and wakefulness. She barely registered the slowing of movement, only opening her eyes when Link moved away from her to start a fire. ‘We should rest now,’ he said. ‘It’s quite a distance, and I don’t think you’re fit enough to teleport…’

“ _Teleport_?”

Link chuckled as he lifted Zelda off the horse, lowering her to the ground where he’d laid out sleeping bags. ‘There’s a lot you don’t know, huh?’ Seeing Zelda’s pout, he added, ‘We’ll get to that tomorrow, I promise.’

“You’ll me everything on the way?”

‘I’ll tell you everything I can.’

 


	2. nostos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO LATE.  
> please forgive little old me... i was struggling for inspiration ,  
> i hope you enjoy  
> i also made [a playlist.](https://playmoss.com/en/micamouth/playlist/a-field-guide-to-post-apocalyptic-time-travel)

Link approached the beast before him.

It seemed to boil underneath, rotting sinew gleaming in what little light entered the chamber. He stared past, into the soul of the thing, hoping for there to be something worth saving. And for a moment the beast was a girl—small and barefoot, hands clasped and brought to her chest, eyes wide and pleading. Link’s chest tightened painfully.

“Link, do you hear me?”

Zelda’s voice rang in his head, quieter than ever—and then it was the beast once more, bellows rattling the tarnished chandeliers above them.

Link drew his sword.

* * *

Link had long been awake when Zelda stirred. He had always been an early riser (Zelda considerably less so) and the nightmares didn’t exactly help. He’d woken up in a bed hot and clammy as the Faron Jungle, calling out silently for someone whose name he didn’t remember. Link sometimes wondered whether he ever  _ would  _ remember, despite the progress he’d made.

The smell of smoke brought Link back from his thoughts as he hastily doused the fire, the wood protesting with a hiss and a spit. After setting out the food on the table—peppered egg and rice with mushroom, a firm favourite—he quietly headed upstairs to wake Zelda. Finding her awake already wasn’t too much of a surprise.

“You’re cooking,” she said, eyes still framed with blue. Link simply nodded in response. Zelda wriggled out of bed, heading down the stairs as quickly as she could manage on legs shaky with a century of disuse.

Zelda seated herself at the table, Link soon following to sit on the side next to her. “Oh, I remember this one,” Zelda said with a little smile. She took a tentative sniff of the egg on her fork before tasting it, and then began to wolf down the entire plate, as if she’d forgotten how hungry she was.

“Where is this place anyway?” Zelda asked between mouthfuls.

‘It’s Hateno,’ Link replied. ‘More specifically, it’s my house.’

“You bought a house in Hateno?”

‘Yep!’ Link was grinning now, though he wasn’t sure why. ‘It was cheap and I figured I’d need a place to stay after… after everything ended.’

Zelda hummed in agreement, taking in the room. “It is a nice place,” she murmured. Link hadn’t done much in the way of decor, but he had the essentials—a cooking pot, two single beds, a table to eat at. It was nice to have somewhere to return to when he needed to feel normal.

He was very glad indeed he hadn’t yet framed that picture from Kass.

They ate in comfortable silence for a while. Link used to find himself drifting away in the mornings, mind occupied by what he knew now to be his memories. Now his eyes kept finding Zelda, taking in the details of her movements. He didn’t want to stare, but it was so  _ hard _ to believe she was real and alive. It had been so lonely out there. He was afraid she’d disappear, as ridiculous as it sounded.

“Where are we going today?” Zelda asked with a smile. Link blinked himself out of the daze.

‘You think you’re fit to travel?’

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Zelda replied. “I slept, I ate.”

Link rolled his eyes, though he added a smile. ‘Well… I was thinking we could head to Kakariko Village and talk to Impa.’

Zelda’s fork paused. “She’s still alive?”

‘She’s solid as a mountain. I’m not sure she’s even mortal.’

They shared a giggle, and Link could see the lightness returning to Zelda’s posture. He couldn’t imagine how it must have felt inside the castle, all those years alone. Link suddenly became absorbed in his plate—now was not the time for dwelling on unpleasantries.

“Well,” Zelda began, “I think I’d like to get out of this dress before we go anywhere.” She looked at Link expectantly. The dress in question was shredded beyond repair. It was strange to remember a time when it was whole; the white linen illuminated by the moon under the gentle stone gaze of Hylia; Zelda doing cartwheels in a field, the billowing edges of her dress stirring dead leaves.

‘We _could_ go shopping… but you’ll need something to wear for the time being,’ Link replied. ‘Give me a moment.’ He knew he and Zelda were about the same size, and he had some spare outfits lying around…

Link dug around in his chest (singular) and produced a simple tunic. He’d bought it in Kakariko Village—Hylian standard, they’d said, but it wasn’t anything like he’d seen before. Zelda eyed it with curiosity. “Styles have definitely changed, hm?” she giggled. Link had to admit, the first people he met after waking up did look funny to him.

‘A lot has,’ he said. ‘but it’s kind of… exciting.’

Zelda’s expression softened. She gave him a smile, the old understanding in her eyes, before taking herself upstairs to change.

Link was—perhaps selfishly—glad that she had not changed one bit.


End file.
